Central Pacific Railroad

The Central Pacific Railroad was a rail company created by the U.S. Congress in 1862. Its goal was to build a railroad from Sacramento, California eastward to help create the first transcontinental railroad in North America. It began operating in 1861 and stopped working independently in 1885 when it was leased by the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. Its assets fully became part of Southern Pacific in 1959.

Before this, many ideas for a transcontinental railroad failed because of arguments over slavery. But after the South left the United States in 1861, leaders in the Republican Party could pass laws to support building the railroad. These laws gave money and land to help pay for the work, which was later paid back with extra money. The railroad also helped the government move important things like mail, soldiers, and supplies quickly and safely.

History

Authorization and construction

In the fall of 1860, Charles Marsh met with Theodore Judah to talk about building a railroad across the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They thought it could be done and started planning. In 1861, they met with four businessmen—Leland Stanford, Collis P. Huntington, Mark Hopkins Jr., and Charles Crocker—who agreed to help pay for the project. This group became known as "The Big Four."

The Central Pacific Railroad was created in 1861 and started building in 1863. They used money and land from the government to help pay for the railroad. By 1869, they had connected their railroad to another one, making train travel much faster. Many Chinese workers helped build the railroad, working in hard conditions.

Financing

The railroad was paid for mostly with special government bonds. These bonds were given for each mile of track built. The government also gave the railroad land along the tracks. However, the city of San Francisco was slow to help with money at first. It took some legal actions to get the city to support the railroad. Sadly, the railroad's chief engineer, Theodore Judah, died before the project was finished.

Museums and archives

You can see a model of the old train station from Sacramento, California at the California State Railroad Museum in the Old Sacramento State Historic Park.

Many letters from Collis P. Huntington are kept at Syracuse University. More letters are at Stanford University and the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia. Alfred A. Hart took pictures when the railroad was being built.

Locomotives

The Central Pacific Railroad's first three trains were common at the time. Because of the American Civil War, it was hard to get new trains from the east coast. Sometimes only smaller trains could be used. Until the railroad built its own repair shops, all trains had to be bought from builders in the northeastern U.S. The trains were taken apart, loaded onto ships, and took four months to travel around South America's Cape Horn before arriving in Sacramento. There, the trains were put back together and started working.

Trains came from many makers, such as Cooke, Schenectady, Mason, Rogers, Danforth, Norris, Booth, and McKay & Aldus. The railroad did not get along well with Baldwin Locomotive Works, a well-known company. It is not clear why, but some think it was because Baldwin wanted cash payment. Because of this, the Central Pacific did not buy trains from Baldwin, except for three old trains from the Western Pacific Railroad, which Central Pacific had taken over in 1870. In the 1870s, the railroad opened its own repair shops in Sacramento. One special train, Central Pacific's 173, was rebuilt there and helped shape the railroad's own train building. Early trains had both names and numbers, but by the 1870s, the names were removed during repairs. One train from the 1880s was given a name: El Gobernador.

Preserved locomotives

See also: List of preserved Southern Pacific Railroad rolling stock

Some special train engines from the Central Pacific Railroad have been kept safe for people to see:

• Central Pacific 1, Gov. Stanford
• CP 233, a special engine, is stored at the California State Railroad Museum.
• Central Pacific 3, C. P. Huntington, which was later bought by the Southern Pacific Transportation Company.
• Former Western Pacific Mariposa, an engine that helped build the first transcontinental railroad. It is now at the Travel Town Museum in Los Angeles.
• Virginia and Truckee 18 Dayton was built for another railroad but has designs from Central Pacific engines.
• Central Pacific's engines 60 Jupiter, and 63 Leviathan. While the real engines are no longer available, exact copies have been made. The Jupiter copy is at the Golden Spike National Historical Park, and the Leviathan copy is owned by a private estate.

Timeline

In 1861, the Central Pacific Railroad was created and started building tracks. In 1862, President Lincoln signed a law to help the railroad grow. By 1863, the first tracks were laid in Sacramento, California.

Over the next few years, the railroad grew longer. By 1869, it met another railroad in Utah, creating the first path across the United States from coast to coast. Many workers helped build this important road. In 1885, the Central Pacific was leased by another company, and in 1959, it was fully combined into that company.

Acquisitions

The Central Pacific Railroad bought several smaller railroads to grow its network. These included the San Joaquin Valley Railroad, the Stockton and Copperopolis Railroad, the Stockton and Visalia Railroad, and the Western Pacific Railroad (1862–1870).